


To Walk in the Footsteps of Giants

by AlyKat



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Character Study, Charles "Trip" Tucker/Malcolm Reed, Gen, Implied Relationships, M/M, Or rather maybe implied?, Really it's just implied they were together though., headcanon that turned plot bunny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-20
Updated: 2016-10-20
Packaged: 2018-08-23 13:38:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8329903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlyKat/pseuds/AlyKat
Summary: Scotty never saw them as heroes or as famous faces that Starfleet cadets would learn about for generations. To him, they were just his beloved great-grandfathers.





	

**Author's Note:**

> There's really no good way to summarize this. It's more a character study of sorts. It was also supposed to be fluffy and feature bickering old men being stupid and adorable...but sadly, that didn't happen. What started off as a headcanon suggestion to a friend "Scotty is the great-grandson of Trip and Malcolm", turned itself into a short fic highlighting various times in Scotty's life that featured his great-grandfathers.

When Montgomery Scott was born, his great-grandfathers sent him presents. There was an old fashioned mobile for his mother to hang above his crib, displaying small model replicas of Starfleet’s first NX class starships. _Columbia_ , _Avenger_ , _Saratoga_ , and _Enterprise_. The mobile was accompanied by a plush teddy bear adorned in a Starfleet uniform, complete with a plush phase pistol. It came as no surprise to his parents that he’d get multiple gifts all bearing the Starfleet insignia. After all, two of his great-grandfathers had served for many years on the starship Enterprise. 

At the age of five, young Monty’s world dimmed with one less shining star. He didn’t understand what dying truly meant at the time, but he knew that his mother, father, granny, and great-grandda were all crying, so he cried too. On the way home from the service, he’d timidly asked when he’d get to play with his great-grandpapa again. His granny cried harder, and his great-grandda simply held her close before reaching out to smooth down Monty’s dark brown hair. 

Monty enjoyed spending time during his summers with his great-grandda in San Francisco. He’d trot alongside the ancient retired Admiral as they wandered Starfleet headquarters, and to various lectures given at all of the different Starfleet schools. Deep down, Monty knew one day he’d go to the Academy too. Just like his great-grandda and great-grandpapa. Maybe even be assigned to work on as fine a ship as they had, someday. 

For his fourteenth birthday, Monty was given a starter engineers kit, as well as two antique phase pistols. Much to his mother’s dismay. While he became fairly proficient with the pistols, it was the engineers kit that truly sparked his interest, and he found himself confessing to his great-grandda that he had plans to join Starfleet when he was old enough, and to become an engineer. He’d never forget the sound of his great-grandda’s laugh, the smile on his face, or the way his bright blue eyes twinkled with pride and happiness. 

It was the same pride and happiness that shown through when Monty had waved his acceptance letter into Starfleet Academy at his vid screen four years later. 

The same pride and happiness that shown through when his great-grandda – dressed down in a pair of slacks and a garish blue and green pattern shirt – helped to move Monty into his dorm room and get him reacquainted with the campus. 

A year later, Monty sat at his great-grandda’s bedside, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall. He’d had more time with the man than most people ever thought he would have, and Monty had laughed softly when his great-grandda had muttered something about “healthy living.” As he held the man’s weathered hand, all 120 years of his life showed on him. Still, his eyes were just as bright blue as Monty had always remembered. 

“Chin up, Mont,” he’d said, giving his great-grandson’s hand a weak squeeze. “The stars are callin’ my name…I’m just goin’ explorin’ again, s’all…”

This time, Monty knew what dying meant. He stood at attention in his full dress cadet uniform, staring straight ahead as the famous Jonathan Archer delivered the eulogy for Monty’s beloved great-grandda. 

It somehow only seemed fitting that Monty was assigned to the _Enterprise_ , NCC-1701, as their Chief Engineer. It warmed his heart, each time he looked at the warp core and knew that his great-grandda had helped to pioneer it. 

When Captain Kirk invited Monty – or rather, Scotty, as the crew had taken to calling him – to have dinner in the Captain’s Mess with him, Scotty had been a slight bit surprised. After all, what could they possibly have to discuss? As it turned out, quite a bit, actually. But nothing could have confused or surprised him more than when Kirk brought up his great-grandfathers. 

“You never said you had family that served in Starfleet before,” said Kirk as they tucked into their meal. 

“Aye, sir. I didn’t think it needed t’ be said, sir.”

“Scotty. Your great-grandfathers were on the senior staff of the first warp five starship! They’re part of the crew who made first contact with half the civilizations in the Federation, right now!” Kirk set his fork down and leaned across the table, eyes wide with excitement. “One of them is the man who made it clear that starships needed to be prepared for anything, and created the damn red alert system! And the other, hell Scotty! Aside from Jonathan Archer, Charles Tucker and Malcolm Reed-Tucker are two of the most famous men in Starfleet history!” 

Scotty chewed his meal carefully, seemingly lost in thought for a moment. He brought up the pictures of his great-grandda and grandpapa in his mind. The way he knew them, and the way they looked in all the old photos he’d seen of them together on the _Enterprise_ NX-01. Shrugging finally, he swallowed what he’d been chewing and tilted his head just so. 

“Aye, sir. That they are. But they’re only famous to those who studied them in the textbooks, sir. To me,” he paused, a fond smile tugging his mouth, “they were just grandda and grandpapa.”


End file.
